Appeals hold up Auckland's future plan

(Getty)
(Getty)

The new blueprint for building Auckland's future, the Unitary Plan, is supposed to come into effect on Thursday, but parts are being held up by appeals.

A joint and broad appeal by the Auckland 2040 and Character Coalition groups could slow the planned residential intensification across the city.

Auckland Council says because the appeal challenges certain zoning decisions, zoning maps cannot come into effect.

Director of Regulatory Services Penny Pirrit says: "Until all appeals are resolved, Auckland Council is required to assess all resource consent applications against parts of both the old and new plans."

That means council will have to make decisions on a case by case basis as to how much weight can be given to the new Unitary Plan versus the old rules.

Ms Pirrit says the process and timeframe for resolving the appeals is a matter for the courts, however the council will be working with all parties to ensure that they are resolved as quickly as possible.

Last year Auckland Council processed almost 15,000 resource consents.

Under the Unitary Plan, 422,000 new homes could be built in the next 25 years.

Appeals hold up Auckland's future plan

Newshub.